The King of the Eight Peaks
by Wernher von Braun
Summary: When he was taken away from his holdings, rather than being outraged, the King smiled at the prospect of a challenge. Sure, the circumstances around him meant that he must think even more outside-of-the-box than usual. But if there's one thing that the Warlord is very familiar with, it's gaining power from the position of rock-bottom.
1. The King Has Come

**The King Has Come**

Looking at the entrance of the nest, a goblin yawned before taking a big bite out of a chicken that he had just roast. Once again, he yawned and gave a look at his brethren.

It has been a long day, in his opinion. They had just returned from stealing grains and livestock from a human village when they were suddenly being attacked by a group of adventurers. Many goblins were slaughtered before they managed to put the situation under control.

In the end, all of the adventurers were killed except one. It was a good thing that said survivor was a female and thus giving the nest one more woman to be used to breed and increasing their numbers.

"Let go of me you dirty goblins! I will kill all of you when I get away! You hear me?!"

Unfortunately, she wore an insane amount of armor. So far, they haven't taken off most of them. With the current pace, they would only be able to "enjoy" their new booty the next day.

It was a good thing that today's activities spent most of his energy. Otherwise, he would be like others who were on the verge of crying thinking that they can have a taste of their booty.

As he yet again yawned, the goblin looked around his nest. There were goblins who were still trying to get the human woman off her armor, those who decided to do other things, a bunch of goblins wearing hood entering the nest, a meat being…

Wait a minute.

The goblin looked back at the hooded goblins. As more of them enter the nest, he tried to remember whether there were among them that wore a hood. Most goblins tend to be minimally clothed, covering only their crotch. Older, more powerful goblins were more covered but they were rare.

Considering how many of these hooded goblins that enter the nest, they were likely not part of those powerful goblins.

His thought was interrupted when he felt a presence behind him. Slowly, he turned around and found himself being stared by a giant mouth on two feet.

The last thing that he saw was said mouth opening itself to swallow the goblin.

* * *

"Well, look wat we hav' 'ere."

The goblins that were trying to get the Knight out of her armor stopped their action and looked at the one who spoke. With the stripping stopped, she had a chance to control her breath and looked at the same direction as the goblins.

It was a big goblin; much bigger than ordinary goblins, almost reaching the size of an adult human. He wore a black hood with the head part being almost as tall as the wearer and adorned with horns. In his hand was a spear with the chain a skull and two coins.

His tone hid none of his disdain. He looked at the rest of the goblins – with the exception of the hooded ones – as if he was staring a bunch of filth. While she agreed with that notion, Knight never thought that a goblin would look at his brethren with the same disdain as other species.

"I hears 'bout de things ye do. How hummies pray dat yer nower ner dem. How countless hummies, stunties, long ears, and more met deir end by yer. So, I cem to ye, having plan dat could be beneficial for us both. And what do I fin' wen I step in?"

Knight blinked several times before she shook her head. As far as she could tell, her ears didn't deceive her; that goblin was indeed talking fluently in human language, albeit with a weird accent.

Suddenly, everyone's attention went toward a goblin crying in pain. His hand was bitten by a biped creature with a giant mouth full of sharp teeth. It then tossed him into the air before eating him whole, spraying blood everywhere.

"I find a bunch of cowards!" The goblin exclaimed, getting back the attention of the beings in the nest. "Not just cowards, morons as well! Ye know nothing 'bout growing 'shrooms! Nothing 'bout raising boars and squigs! Ye can't even make yer own choppa lik' proper gobs! Yer not gobs! Yer not even snotlings! I should let Gobbla ere eat the whole lot a ya!"

"Well, what do you expect from goblins?" Knight commented before she realized that that might not be such a good idea.

"Shut yer mouth, hummie!"

She decided to do what the goblin asked. Knight was basically at their…err, his mercy. So, it was not a good idea to make him mad. She knew what would happen to women that were captured by goblins. No need to make her fate more painful.

"Now listen, ladz. From now on, things will change!" The goblin declared as he gave a hard stare at the goblins in front of him. "From now on, I'm the Boss and me Night Goblins the leftenants! Yer no Waaagh, but I've made due wit less. We're going to visit every nest in dese mountain and forest and show dem whose the new Boss is. After that, well, you might finally know how ta be more valuable den snotlings."

* * *

Suffice to say, things didn't exactly go as well as he wanted. Though to be fair, things seemed to work differently here compared at home and it could be worse.

There was also a silver lining; the gobs under him were more loyal now. Though considering whoever managed to dispose of him – not that he will succeed – would have to deal with these…even more annoying version of snotlings, he couldn't blame them for postponing their coup attempts.

Still, it would simply be a matter of time until things return to normal.

As he and Gobbla walked towards their destination, Skarsnik was busy thinking on how to make sure that this event doesn't happen again. It all happened because the Skaven decided to use some kind of explosive that sent him, Gobbla, and some of his forces to this place. It seemed that those rats had enough of getting nothing from the King under the Mountain except corpses and decided to forgo taking the territory of Karak Eight Peaks under his control and just blew it up.

While that didn't sound like something that Skaven would do, considering they have no problem waiting and spending resource for ten generations to take the Karak from the Dwarfs, they were the only suspect that Skarsnik could think of that can create an explosion that strong.

Well, maybe the Dwarfs but they have even less reason to blow up a part of Karak Eight Peaks. There was also how rather than killing them, the "explosion" merely transported Skarsnik, Gobbla and his followers into Gork and Mork know where. It could be because warpstone was used and turning the explosive into an instant transportation device. Those stones have a tendency to be very unpredictable.

The more he thought about it, the more Skarsnik realized just how many unknown variables involved. He let out a sigh and decided to save the topic for some other time.

When they arrived, Skarsnik could see that the human prisoner was still functioning. The long hair looked at him as if trying to burn the Night Goblin with glare alone. She had been stripped off her armor and was put behind a cage to prevent those snotling slaves – he decided that he would dub them as such – from damaging her.

It was unfortunate that after few of them were killed for not dispersing, they decided to stay as far away as possible from the human. Had they still disobeyed the order, Gobbla could have a lot of snacks.

Then again, it was very likely that he would get a dinner.

"Ye understand wat me say, hummie?" Skarsnik asked the human.

"I don't recognize your accent but I get what you're trying to say, goblin." The human replied with a venomous tone.

"Good, good." Skarsnik took out a map and showed it at her. "Dis map showed, ugh, gobs' nests?"

The human looked at the map for a while before starring back at the King under the Mountain.

"Why should I tell anything to a stinking goblin?" The human asked back.

Skarsnik let out what could be described as a sinister laugh before giving two choices for the human.

"Ye tell me 'bout dis map and everyding ye 'now 'bout gobs, Gobbla will eat ye." The Night Goblin gave a thumb to his closest friend, who licked its teeth in excitement. "Do not, and de small gobs will continue what dey want to do wiv ye."

The human gulped in response. Despite that, it took her less than a minute to come to a decision.

"The X's in the map marks the location of nearby goblin nests. The ones with circles are nests that have been cleared." The long-haired human answered the question. "For the information about goblins, what do you want to know?"

When a night goblin was about to enter the captive room, he was stopped by the scream of a human accompanied by the sounds of chewing. He immediately turned around and decided to approach the King later. He knew better than to be near that squig when it was having a meal.

* * *

 **And this chapter is done.**

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me!**

 **Review, please!**


	2. Strange Actions

**Strange Actions**

When he entered the cave, he expected the usual. Totems, cheers, footsteps, the crackling of the fire, smells of body fluid. Anything one could expect when entering a goblin's nest.

Yet when he reached the deepest part of the cave, he found not even a single speck of green. He looked for hidden passage, hiding hole, and even searching the area around the cave.

Nothing.

" _This is…strange_."

He searched the cave, trying to see if there's a clue that could enlighten him on the cause of the disappearance of the goblins. He managed to find a bone. A bone of a chicken. He remembered that one of the things that the quest giver said was that the goblins stole chickens and lambs from the village.

That meant the goblins were indeed here. And for some reason, they decided to abandon their nest, taking everything with them.

He began to inspect the cave, seeing if there was a defect that make the goblins decided to move away. Then, he looked around the surrounding area, trying to find anything that could threaten the goblins.

Nothing.

He stood outside of the cave, hesitated to take the first step to go back home. He couldn't find _any_ reason for the goblins to abandon their nest. They wouldn't just abandon their nest. Goblins were unlike other races who would move house for things like not liking the scenery. If their nest was good enough to protect them from the environment and close to food and water sources, then goblins could live in it for almost indefinitely.

Yet there was no goblin.

In the end, he decided to walk back to the guild, hoping that he has searched well-enough and there wasn't even a single goblin in the area. While others would sight in relieve that they didn't have to risk their necks, he couldn't relax on his way back.

For Goblin Slayer knew that when goblins act different than usual, then something big is about to happen.

* * *

Far from the nest that Goblin Slayer inspected, a caravan was traveling through a jungle. The Sun was still in the sky yet from the position everyone knew that dusk would come soon. The people in the wagons were preparing the necessary things so that the caravan could immediately set up camps when they stop.

"Hey, how long this journey will take again?" Elf Ranger asked, who wanted nothing more than to just lie down and have a nap.

"Don't worry. Two more days and we will arrive at the city." Her fellow Adventurer, Human Swordswoman, answered the question.

"So, 2,000 silver just to escort this caravan. That's the reward, right?" Rhea Archer asked, getting confirmation from others. "That's a lot. What do you guys plan to do with your share?"

"Well, my dad's birthday is just a week from now and I know this little thing that he will love to have." Human Swordswoman's face became rather red.

"Daddy's girl, eh?" Rhea Archer commented as other Adventurers joined in in the teasing.

"Oh, shut it!" The woman protested. "At least my intention…"

Words stopped coming from her mouth when she saw an arrow hitting one of the horses. Then, more arrows coming from the trees.

"Archers!" The Human Swordswoman shouted as she raised her shield to block the projectiles.

The horses went to panic, trying to avoid the arrows. But due to being tied to the wagons, their movements were limited and many fell from the attack. The drivers tried to hide into the wagons but some got hit. When the rain of arrows stopped, the Adventurers were on their guards, knowing that it was merely an opening salvo.

Then, they came.

From the trees, goblins were rushing towards the caravan, shouting battle cry as they brandished their weapons. For every female in the caravan, the stake of their victory had tremendously increased; they knew what fate would await them if the goblins captured them.

Human Swordswoman blocked an attack from a goblin and retaliated, managing to hit him in the throat. She wasted no time to slashed another goblin, who didn't pay any attention to her. As she prepared for another attack, she noticed that there was something different about these goblins, like how all of them were wearing a hood. They were also seemed to be bigger than usual.

Her thought was interrupted when she heard a goblin shrieked in pain behind her. She turned around and saw him stood frozen for a while before falling to the ground. It was Rhea Archer, firing from atop of a wagon.

"Don't just stand there! There are more of them!" He exclaimed before letting loose another arrow.

Swordswoman chastised herself for getting distracted before returning to the fight. Her attention was focused on a goblin that was locking sword with an Adventurer. Much to her surprise, it was the goblin who won and managed to cause his opponent to lose balance. He then struck the Adventurer at the knee and now both of them were on the same height. Before she could reach them, the goblin swung his sword and cut his opponent's head, laughing as the headless corpse fell to the ground.

The goblin turned his attention towards Human Swordswoman. He ran towards her and swung his sword, blocked by her shield. When she tried to stab him, the goblin jumped back. He immediately dashed towards her, letting out the relentless attack. Slash, thrust, bash, the goblin used every move that it could think of. She blocked, dodged, and parried each attack while also giving her own slash, thrust, and bash, in which the goblin blocked, dodged and parried as well.

Both combatants stepped back from each other, using the opportunity to take the much-needed air. Human Swordswoman stared at the goblin worriedly. He didn't act like a normal goblin, who was the most cowardly race that she ever encountered. All those fights didn't faze him and in fact, made him smile. She could hear a small laugh coming from the goblin as if he was _excited_ by the prospect of a fight.

The goblin readied his sword and shield, moving sideways to get her flank on his sight. Swordswoman did the same thing, not intending of giving him even a slight advantage. Both stared at each other, not letting their opponent away from their eyes.

Suddenly, the goblin chuckled and relaxed. This confused Human Swordswoman as his action made it very unlikely for him to be ready when she decided to attack. However, she soon realized why the goblin became relaxed. He has no reason to be afraid of her…

…for a stone had just hit her head.

She fell to the ground, clutching her head with her sword and shield no longer in her hands. The goblin laughed upon seeing her action before letting out a war cry and charged towards another Adventurer.

Swordswoman, despite the pain, tried to at least sat up from the ground. As she tried to do so, she could saw Rhea Archer letting loose his arrows in desperation. Any semblance of precision was abandoned and now he simply trying to use his arrows as fast as he can. He was about to grab another arrow when an arrow made its mark on his chest. Then, another one on his throat. The archer took only two steps back before he fell from the wagon.

Seeing that, Swordswoman changed her intention and instead crawled towards her sword. As she did so, she saw Elf Ranger passing in front of her. The long-eared Adventurer was then tackled by several goblins. She tried to get away from them to no avail. The elf was on the verge of crying when one of the goblins bashed her head with a shield. He then noticed Swordswoman, who increased her pace. She was just about to put her hand on her sword when the goblin stepped on the hand before knocking her out with his shield.

* * *

Seeing that his bag was full, the goblin picked it up and walked towards a cart. Once there, he emptied the content of his bag before returning to his post. When he reached it, he picked up his pickaxe and rejoined his brethren in mining.

This has been the fate of many goblins ever since the hooded goblins – who called themselves "Night Goblins" – arrived. To say that things changed drastically was like saying that goblins were a bunch of friendly creatures.

The first thing that the Night Goblins did was to disarm other goblins. Many of them protested on being stripped of their well-earned weapons. They were then slaughtered by the Night Goblins. It was not long before the remaining goblins surrendered their weapons and armors.

They were then assigned to do manual labors. One of them was to work in the abandoned mine. The goblins couldn't understand why the Night Goblins wanted them to do this. Won't it be simpler to just raid a village and steal their tools?

As days passed, many goblin miners noticed that when they shift was over, they would be replaced by goblins that they didn't recognize. They then remembered how the leader of the Night Goblins, Warlord Skarsnik, declared that he would round up every goblin from every nest in the woods and mountains.

They thought it was merely a bravado. As it turned out, the Warlord was not joking about his intention.

Speaking about Warlord Skarsnik and by extension the rest of the Night Goblins, many goblins thought that they were cruel. Fighting and even killing among goblins were not unusual due to their nature. But the Night Goblins seemed to be making considered cruel even by fellow goblins to be their life goal.

Many goblins still shuddered when they remembered an event where a bunch of Night Goblins fed goblin babies to squigs. If one wanted to know whether goblins have standard, they have at least one; never do harm to goblin babies. There was a reason they hide goblin babies after all.

And yet the Night Goblins simply laughed as they watched the babies tried to escape from the rampaging squigs to no avail.

Upon seeing that his bag was full again, the goblin picked it up and poured the content into a cart. Just then, a Night Goblin was passing the cart. The goblin miner waited for several seconds before slowly creeping towards him, pickaxe in hand. Once he was close, he raised the mining tool in his hand and…

…would have plunged it into the Night Goblin had he didn't turn around and beheaded the goblin miner.

* * *

Guild Girl was busy writing the report of the quest taken by High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest. While they were usually accompanying Goblin Slayer alongside Priestess, this time they decided to take a non-goblin-related quest. Goblin Slayer, as expected, has no problem with it and Priestess decided to stay behind since she was having her time of the month.

They turned their attention towards the door when they heard someone had just entered the guild. They saw that it was none other than Goblin Slayer.

"Ah, welcome back." Guild Girl diverted her attention from the paper. "I take it that it's another quest completed?"

"No. I don't slay any goblin." Goblin Slayer replied, shocking those who heard him.

"Not slaying any? Not even one?" High Elf Archer asked, receiving a shook from Goblin Slayer. "What's wrong, Orcbolg? The nest turns out to be bigger than expected?"

"I have cleaned nests as big as the one I found alone. I don't slay any goblin because the nest was abandoned."

"Abandoned goblin nest?" Guild Girl said as she put her hand on her chin. "That's the fifth this week."

"Fifth?" Goblin Slayer immediately walked closer to Guild Girl. "There has been a similar situation?"

Guild Girl felt intimidated by the stare from Goblin Slayer. However, she soon recovered and picked up the necessary papers.

"Six days ago, a group of four rookie Adventurers set out to exterminate a goblin nest. When they returned, they claimed that they have killed all the goblins. Yet there was no sign of blood in their clothes; something that's almost impossible to avoid. When I confronted them about this, they admitted that they did nothing since the nest was, and I quote, 'bloody empty.'" Guild Girl explained. "The same thing happened four days ago. Two more similar events two days ago as well."

Goblin Slayer didn't show any reaction to it and if he had any facial reaction, then it was covered by his helmet. High Elf Archer listened to Guild Girl's explanation as well and looked towards him.

"Hey, Orcbolg. Is this kind of behavior normal for goblins?" The archer asked worriedly.

"No. Since those Adventurers are still alive after visiting the nests, it's very likely that the situation is similar with the nest that I had just visited." Goblin Slayer explained. "Can I see the papers?"

"Ah, of course." Guild Girl gave him the papers and he immediately read it.

"Five nests of goblins. All of them abandoned in a matter of a week." Dwarf Shaman muttered about the facts. "You think this is a sign of something ominous, Beard Cutter?"

"Very possible." Goblin Slayer replied. "Goblins are creatures of habit and desires. Something must be powerful and fearsome enough to force a change of self-conduct. And whatever that is could be dangerous for us as well."

Dwarf Shaman hummed in response and looked at his companions. High Elf Archer and Lizard Priest didn't like the response as well. They knew just how dangerous goblins were and if there was something out there that managed to force them to act unnaturally, then taking care of it…well, calling it "challenging" would be an understatement.

* * *

Human Swordswoman slowly opened her eyes. She was trying to figure out what had just happened when she heard someone speaking to her.

"Thank the gods, you finally awake!"

She tried to find the voice. Once her head stopped pounding, she saw that it was Elf Ranger. She was tied to the tree and seemed to be nervously looking around. Now that she mentioned it, Human Swordswoman realized that she too was tied; to the same tree to boot. Her ears managed to catch the whimper of other women.

"What had just happened?" She asked the elf.

"You don't remember?" Elf Ranger asked back. "We're captured by goblins."

"We…what?!" Swordswoman began to look around in fear, trying to find any sign of goblins. "Where are they?! Where…?"

"Over there." The elf gestured towards the direction with her head.

Just as she said, Swordswoman could see goblins hiding at the trees. She looked at other places and could find several more goblins hiding as well.

"I…don't understand. Why are we tied to a tree? Why are we not…you know?" Swordswoman asked nervously.

"Well, if what I managed to deduce is not wrong, then we're baits for a nearby goblin nest." Elf Ranger laughed nervously.

"What…?"

Whatever she wanted to say was interrupted by several shouts of joy. She recognized those shouts as that of goblins. She saw that the goblins in the woods were preparing themselves for some reason. She didn't too much about it since she had better thing to think about; namely how to get away from those shouting goblins.

When they were close, she could see that they were more like goblins that she was familiar with. A minimal amount of clothes, lamb-like eyes, hunching stances and being lecherous upon seeing a woman. Or in this case a bunch of women being tied to a tree. They must have thought that it was a gift from whatever thing that they worshipped.

The goblins began to surround the tree as the women screamed in terror. Elf Ranger was on the verge of tears and was at loss of word while Human Swordswoman tried to set herself off from the tree. The goblins approached the rope that tied the women to the tree and tried to untie them. It was proved harder than they thought and they decided to just cut it…

…when one of them was hit by an arrow. Then more of them were hit by arrows. Soon, the goblins fell into a panic and tried to run away. It was at that moment that the hiding goblins emerged from the trees and fell upon the goblins.

Human Swordswoman and Elf Ranger couldn't believe their eyes. Goblins were fighting among themselves. They could easily differentiate the two groups of goblins; the ones that they were familiar with and the ones that wore full clothing, not unlike other races and have red eyes. They also saw several hooded goblins among the latter group, indicating that they were the goblins that ambushed them.

The ambushed goblins tried to fight back but many of them were cut down by the fully-clothed goblins. To make matters worse for the ambushed goblins, their opponents were better trained in using their weapons. Both Adventurers knew just how one-sided the battle was. Heck, it might be more correct to call it a massacre.

Suddenly, somebody shouted "WAAAGH!" The goblins stopped fighting and looked at the source. The tied-up women were doing the same thing. All of them saw a fully-armored goblin holding the head of another goblin. A shaman considering that there was a headgear. Around the armored goblin were hooded goblins holding several goblins captive.

Soon, the ambushed goblins threw their weapons away and raised their hands as they knelt. The ambushing goblins let out a cry of joy as they began to have a little celebration. The surrendering goblins were soon tied-up by hands and the women were freed from the tree only to be tied-up by hands as well. They were then ordered to follow the goblin forces. As they walked to gods know where the Adventurers couldn't help but wonder about something.

Why these goblins acted differently than their brethren?

* * *

 **Answers to some reviews:**

 **trickster3696:** In the lore, Skarsnik has been described to be almost human in size.

 **SuperSaiyanDiclonius:** Hmm, maybe later.

 **solarblaster:** Well, Skarsnik is very different compared to other WH goblins. There's actually a time when he captured a playwright and ordered him to write a biography about the Warlord.

* * *

 **And this chapter is done.**

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me!**

 **Review, please!**


	3. No Fear of Plagiarism

**No Fear of Plagiarism**

Inside the war room, Skarsnik was looking at the map as Gobbla ate its meal. The Warlord looked fondly at his best friend who enjoyed the baby goblin steak before returning his attention to the map.

His realm was expanding and many nests have been subjugated. The Crooked Moon Tribe received an influx of population though many of them were Gobslaves, a new and better name for the local goblins because they were an embarrassment of the name. Skarsnik got an inspiration of the name when he remembered about the Skaven, especially the Skavenslaves. Just like their rat counterpart, the Gobslaves would perform the menial tasks like mining, lumberjacking, cleaning, and more. In warfare, they would serve as meat shields, protecting the much better goblins.

The Warlord diverted his attention to other reports. Some of them were just a usual report from his underlings like the condition of the weather, the state of the food, and things like that. Important but also mundane at the same time. And then there were those that were more… _interesting_.

Like one report that informed him that the Arachnarok Spider was laying eggs.

When the Crooked Moon Tribe arrived in this land, one of the Arachnarok Spider got taken alongside them as well. Skarsnik decided to leave the Spider under one of his most trusted shamans and a company of Forest Goblins in order to secure the surrounding area.

Upon realizing how different this land is compared to the Old World, the Warlord realized that the spider might be the only one of its kind in the area and losing it would result in an irreplaceable loss. But since it was laying eggs, then that means there was a possibility of gaining more spiders or replacement in one of the bad scenarios.

Another was a report about the birth of a new batch of goblins. _True_ goblins, not one of those Gobslaves. These goblins would serve well as craftsmen, builders, herders, and laborers, something that the Gobslaves unfortunately unable to fulfill.

Seriously, reminding them to always feed the boars regularly was a challenge of its own. Another reason why they were unworthy of the name "Goblin." Taking care of the animals was one of the most basic skill every goblin should've known.

Anyway, while now there were gobs to fill the duties, Skarsnik also knew that their quality would be nothing compared to his workers back at Karak Eight Peaks. These gobs would have none of the experience that their predecessors possessed.

One way to deal with that was for the newly born gobs to learn from the experienced gobs. Obviously, that was not an option. However, it didn't need to be goblins that teach them. The Rock Lobbers were inspired by the Dwarfs' Grudge Throwers. So technically speaking, the Dwarfs "taught" the Greenskins how to create and operate their own artillery through captured Throwers and being seen when operating one.

Looks like the time to finally raid a human village has come.

* * *

In the Guild's tavern, the trio of silver-ranked Adventurers who often accompanied Goblin Slayer was having a meal. High Elf Archer was spinning the pasta with her fork, Dwarf Shaman cut his grilled meat to several pieces, and Lizard Priest happily munching the very big sandwich in his hand. The sandwich was served with extra cheese, of course.

When they heard footsteps, they looked at the person who was approaching them, finding out that it was Goblin Slayer. He took a seat at their table and supported his head with his hand on the table. Padfoot Waitress approached him hesitantly; almost everyone in the tavern could feel a rather gloom aura coming from Goblin Slayer. He turned his head at her, prompting the waitress to ask his order.

"Can I take your order?" Padfoot Waitress asked.

"A drink when people are stressed." Goblin Slayer replied.

"…alright."

Padfoot Waitress awkwardly went off to get the order. The three other people at the table looked at Goblin Slayer, surprised by his order.

"More empty nest?" Dwarf Shaman asked.

"Explored five nests. Only one still has goblins." Goblin Slayer answered before letting out a sigh.

"Do you manage to figure out their strange behavior?" High Elf Archer asked.

"No. All empty nest shares one similarity; when I checked the surrounding area, there's nothing that could cause the goblins to move away from their nests."

"Is it possible that some third party eradicated the goblins at the empty nests?" Lizard Priest suggested.

"If that's the reason, then why they decided to clean the nests? Every empty nest is clean of blood and corpses. If they're empty because the occupants were killed, then there would be signs."

Goblin Slayer started to mumble about something under his breath. The trio decided not to bother the slayer and returned to their food. Several minutes later, Padfoot Waitress returned with Goblin Slayer's order, who immediately drank the entire glass. He put the glass down and remained silent.

When they almost finished their meal, High Elf Archer looked at Goblin Slayer before looking at Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest. She approached him and was able to hear a snore coming from the slayer.

"He falls asleep." High Elf Archer stated as she returned to her seat.

"He must be thinking a lot about these empty nests." Dwarf Shaman stated as he stroked his beard. "So much to the point of lacking enough rest."

"It's understandable. Sir Goblin Slayer is an expert in the field of goblin. He always shows concern when goblins act outside of the norms." Lizard Priest said as he steepled his palms. "The fact that hasn't discover the reason only increase it."

High Elf Archer looked at the sleeping figure of Goblin Slayer worriedly. If this continued, it might cause a step back in making the man more normal. Hopefully, they could figure out the cause of the goblins' strange behaviors and take care of it soon.

* * *

In one of many villages at the frontier of the kingdom, a blacksmith was hitting a hot metal with his hammer. When he checked the result, he was satisfied and dropped the metal into a bucket of water. He then used the tong to took it and put in on a table.

As he worked on another piece of metal, a girl slowly approached him as she yawned, eyes only open halfway through. She silently stared at Blacksmith for several seconds before yawning again and spoke to him.

"Dad, the sun hasn't arisen yet. Don't you think you're too early?" The girl asked as she rubbed her right eye.

"Of course not, sweetheart. Every good man starts their work before the sun. When you reach my age, you will appreciate every free time that you could get." Blacksmith replied his daughter's question.

"Still…"

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a commotion. Then, there was the sound of someone running before a bell rang. Once they heard the shout, both of them knew what had just happened.

"Goblins! Goblins!"

Blacksmith immediately grabbed a mace. It was an order from one of the villagers but he doubted he would mind of having his would-be weapon used.

"Dear, get back to the house! Wake up your mother and brother!" Blacksmith ordered his daughter. "Now!"

She immediately ran towards her destination. Blacksmith, on the other hand, went towards with other villagers, intending on defending their home. When they reached the gate, they saw two villagers were being pushed back by goblins due to the monsters making a shield wall. One of the villagers swung his hoe and hit the shield of one of the goblins. Another goblin immediately grabbed the hoe and pulled it towards himself. The villager fell to the ground and was swarmed by the goblins in a matter of second.

Upon seeing that, the rest of the men were more careful this time. They attacked carefully, not wanting the goblins to grab a hold of their weapons. However, they were unable to prevent the goblins from advancing thanks to the protection of their shields.

As the goblins advanced, the night goblins went towards the buildings. Every time they encountered the inhabitants, the night goblins would scare them out of the building. If they refused, the goblins would burn the building, forcing them to go out anyway.

Some, however, chose to die in flame than being goblins prisoner.

As the raid went on, most of the villagers were pushed towards the village square. When they couldn't retreat further, they found themselves surrounded by goblins. From the crowd of greenskins, a Night Goblin Warboss emerged. He looked at the humans in front of him before his eyes were set on Blacksmith.

To be more precise, his hands.

"Oy, ye!" The Warboss pointed his finger at Blacksmith. "Ye work with metal?"

"…yes?" Blacksmith answered hesitantly, not expecting being asked by a goblin of all creature.

One thing for sure though was that he didn't like the smile on the Warboss' face.

* * *

Human Swordswoman once heard that a live expectation of being goblins prisoner was quite low. Female has a higher chance of surviving longer but that's due to goblins using them as breeding slaves. So, while they have a higher chance of survival, it doesn't mean much since most of the female goblin victims end up broken.

Thus, she didn't expect to be able to live rather well for two weeks of being their prisoner. Sure, her clothes were tangled and now have holes on them, her "bath" basically consisted of the goblins splashing her with water when she became stinky, and the food was quite tasteless. But at least she wasn't tortured or raped.

She could deduce the reason. During those two weeks, she and other women were used to baiting out goblins from their nests so that the goblins that took them captive could easily kill them. They also only encountered one caravan and captured five people, so they need to make sure she and others could be used as long as possible.

As for rape, there were goblins that tried to approach her and other women with that intention but all of them were fed to the biped creatures with lots of teeth that the goblins' called "squig."

Speaking about the goblins, Swordswomen noticed that the goblins could be split into two groups; those who act like a typical goblin and those who were more…"civilized" for the lack of better word. The latter group was fully clothed, more experienced in fighting, maintaining their weapons, and many more things that people wouldn't expect from goblins.

"So, wanna bet how long they're going to keep us alive before we outlived our usefulness?" Elf Archer asked, taking Swordswoman away from her mind.

"Since when we start to bet about that?" The human replied back.

"Since now. We basically have nothing to do and we need to vent some stress after being used to bait goblins for…I actually lost count after ten."

Swordswoman looked around for a while before sighing and joining other women. She could see many of them have been accepting their fate. She could understand why; their captors were not a mere band of goblins not different from bandits but rather an army of goblins fully trained and well-supplied.

There won't be anyone who comes to save them.

* * *

Blacksmith wiped the sweat on his forehead before he continued hammering the hot metal that he was working on. He gave a side glance at a goblin who was doing the same thing beside him. Observing them were a bunch of other goblins. He didn't know much about the creature but he believed that most of them were young goblins with only two who were older.

After raiding the village, the goblins took many of the villagers back to their base. Then, the Night Goblin Warboss gave them an offer; he wanted the blacksmiths, wood carvers, potters, and other artisans to teach the young goblins their skills. If not, then they would be given to "Gobslaves," which looked more like the goblins that the humans were familiar with.

The "reward" of doing their jobs well would be being fed to the wolves and squig. It wasn't so bad in comparison to the punishment.

Never in his life that Blacksmith would think of working hard to make sure that he and his family get eaten by wild animals. But he knew their fate if he refused the Warboss' offer, so he had not much choice.

As he smashed the hot metal with his hammer, Blacksmith's mind went to think about the folk's hero who had slain many goblins, ensuring the safety of many villages, Goblin Slayer. A small part of him hoped that he would come to their aid, to free them from this…madness, he couldn't think of better word.

But he had seen what these goblins have to offer. It wasn't something a lone man or even a group of Adventurers could solve.

It was a job for an army.

And he knew that there wouldn't be any salvation for them.

* * *

 **Answers to some reviews:**

 **Rook435:** Sorry, it's a spoiler. Can't tell you Skarsnik army as for the moment. Be patient, okay? 😊

 **pipn123:** Yes, the Dwarf is a shaman while the Lizard is a priest. As for the women, of course, Skarsnik wouldn't let them go.

* * *

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review, please!**


	4. Green Lunatics

**Green Lunatics**

Skarsnik sighed in frustration upon reading one of the reports that he received this day. He knew that it would be inevitable thanks to the nature of the Greenskins. That doesn't mean it was less annoying each time it happens.

Some of the goblins under him have finally gone against him. They had deserted their posts, bringing with them some of the gobslaves.

He looked at the map to find out how severe their desertion was. They were far away from major human settlement, so it was unlikely for them to alert the humans and made them send an army. Plus, the locals here considered the Greenskins to be a minor threat.

Considering how the gobslaves were, Skarsnik couldn't exactly blame them. Nevertheless, he intended to change that. All that he needed was time. Time to build his resources and armies.

Speaking about armies, he looked at another report, diverting his attention from the deserters. The first breeding barn has been established; a place where the Crooked Moon Tribe could grow a new batch of gobslaves. As for the moment though, it was not operational. There was no need to grow them when they could just be captured from their nests. Furthermore, it would be unwise to have too many slaves.

And speaking about the lads, Skarsnik once again diverted his attention to yet another report. This one was about food production. So far, there was enough food from picking berries, hunting local animals, the mushroom plantations, the boar cattle, and many other ways. But as his armies grew, so must the amount of the food.

Skarsnik thought was interrupted when he heard someone knocked on his door. After giving the permission, a pair of night goblins – his most loyal bodyguards – entered the room while escorting a blonde woman with blue eyes. From the ears, it was obvious that the woman was an elf. Her hands were busy carrying a big book, a quill, and a bottle of ink.

The King in the Mountain smiled as he approached them. The elf couldn't help but whimpered as the Warlord came closer to her.

* * *

On the way to their destination, Priestess, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest looked at Goblin Slayer with concern. While he finally managed to find a nest with the occupants haven't disappeared, there were still encounter with goblin nest being empty. And that put the slayer on stress.

As he always put it, goblins were not smart but they were also not dumb either. When they act outside of their habits, usually it was to prevent themselves from getting killed. That act could be passed down from one nest to another, making goblins more difficult to kill. Thus, it would be a good thing for the goblins who learned new thing to die before the knowledge could spread.

As such, for the last few weeks, Goblin Slayer was having stress since too many times he found the goblins acting out of their habits.

"Hey, Orcbolg, how's your condition?" High Elf Archer asked.

"Good enough to hunt goblins." Goblin Slayer answered with his usual tone.

"That is good to hear, Sir Goblin Slayer." Lizard Priest stated as his hands made their usual pose. "You lately, you show some signs of deteriorating health and it made many of us worried."

"Worry not." Goblin Slayer then added, "Also, thanks."

"That's what friends do, after all." High Elf Archer stated as she smiled.

"Friend…" Goblin Slayer muttered in response.

The elf was happy upon hearing that. He was slowly but steadily become more…normal. While he still often spoke using one word, he sometimes also added more words after a beat to make his response longer. He also tried to minimize the usage of his more brutal tactics, though High Elf Archer admitted that there were times when she agreed with the methods.

There was no way she was going to admit that. It might be her imagination but she swore that Goblin Slayer was being smug when he dropped an entire building upon them and the goblins. Which was why she kicked him off.

In any case, hopefully, this quest could make him feel better.

* * *

"Five."

The goblin was only able to scream a little before his neck met the sword. More goblins came towards them but High Elf Archer and Priestess were ready with their bow and sling respectively.

"Six, seven, eight, nine, ten…"

After many of their kin were killed, the goblins smarten up and stopped charging to certain death. They retreated deeper into the cave that was their nest, hoping to ambush the party. Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest became the vanguard and led the rest of them.

When he saw stones flying towards them, Goblin Slayer took a step forward and shield the party from the projectiles. He only needed to watch out for few as many of the stones missed, overshot, or fell too soon.

As the stones stopped coming and the party continued their advance, Goblin Slayer was curious about the condition of the goblins in this nest. The states of the stones indicated that many of the slingers were amateurs and while that can be called common among goblins compared to other races, goblin slingers were more often than not good enough to hit their target.

"Eleven, twelve, thirteen…and that's fourteen."

There was also another thing that was equally interesting. The goblins that they fought, with the exception of slingers, were fighting with clubs and pointy sticks. And by "pointy sticks" he didn't mean a common nickname for a spear but rather a literal pointy stick. Basically, it was as if the goblins chopped branches of trees, made sticks from them, and then sharpened one of the ends.

"Fifteen. Sixteen."

So, despite most of the things were normal, there were signs that something was…tampering with the condition of the goblins. There was no archer and their weapons were even more primitive than the usual goblin weaponry. Though to be fair, their usual weapons were simply a sharp rock tied to a wooden handle. Not exactly that complicated to make.

"Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty."

"That's supposed to be all of them, right?" Priestess asked.

"Wait." Goblin Slayer looked around, trying to find a hidden compartment where the goblin children usually were.

"I don't think there's any hidden place, Beard-Cutter." Dwarf Shaman stated as he examined the wall and the floor. "They had just arrived inside this cave, not long enough to make any extra room. As you see, they didn't even have their usual…furniture that blocked the children's room."

"I see." Goblin Slayer replied though he kept checking for a while before stopping.

"Well, with that settled, any plan for the rest of the day, Orcbolg?" High Elf Archer asked.

"There's a village nearby. The one who posted the quest." He stated. "Let's take a rest."

"Now that's a good idea coming from your mouth." She patted him at the shoulder.

"I have made several good ideas."

"Eh, from a certain point of view, I guess." High Elf Archer stated before she went towards the exit.

Goblin Slayer was confused by what she said but decided to keep it for himself and followed the elf. The other three laughed a little before following their companions into the village.

Unbeknown to them, they were followed the moment they exit the cave.

* * *

Elf Playwright didn't know what to expect when the caravan that she took a ride on was attacked by the goblins. She only knew that it wouldn't be anything good for her, both physically and mentally.

When the goblin found her hiding inside the barrel, she was immediately placed inside a cage alongside her book, quill, and a bottle of ink before being taken to gods-know-where by a chariot pulled by wolves.

In the end, she ended up in the most unexpected place; inside a big cage, her feet tied by a chain to a ball, having a chair to sit on and table for work, and was about to write an autobiography of a goblin called Skarsnik.

No amount of "what" in the world would be enough to express how awkward she found the whole situation was.

"So, I herd you're writer?" Skarsnik asked the playwright as he sat in his own chair.

"Y-Yes." Elf Playwright answered the question, stammered. "I-I'm not e-exactly famous. B-But I k-know…"

"Sav' it. Don't care." The King stated. "So, wat you fink 'bout making a life story?"

"I-I never make o-one before. B-But I-I have seen some of t-them."

Skarsnik put his hand on his chin, seemingly thinking about Elf Playwright. He stood up from his chair and approached her.

"Mak' a story 'bout yer journey to 'ere! Wiv pretty words!" He ordered.

Elf Playwright squealed a little before pulling out a paper and wrote the story. Skarsnik could see that she was nervous when writing it. He could agree with her; if she failed to satisfy him, well, Gobbla might finally have a taste of the flesh of the elf.

After she was done, Elf Playwright gave the paper to Skarsnik. He read it, word by word was inspected carefully. Slowly, the King in the Mountain smiled and finally let out a laugh.

"Good, good! Dis's what I want, a good story. Because I am going to tell you a good story." Skarsnik went towards his chair and once again took a seat. "An' I want you to take it wiv ya, and I want you to tell all da uvver 'umies, knife-ears, stunties, out dere who the biggest and meanest and bestest goblin in the world is, you got dat? And if you don't do it in pretty words den I'll come and eat your liver while you watches, got dat?"

Elf Playwright nodded her head as fast as she could as she prepared her quill for the incoming story. Skarsnik let out a breath before telling her his life story.

* * *

"Come on, Orcbolg. Just a glass. Heck, I'll pay it from my own pocket!"

"No."

Inside a tavern, the party was currently having a hearty meal. However, there was a disagreement between two of their members. Namely, Goblin Slayer prohibiting High Elf Archer from consuming any alcohol, much to the latter displeasure.

"I know, I know I can't hold my liquor. But this is time for us to rest!"

"No."

"I know long-ear could be rather difficult to handle when she's drunk but don't you think this is too much, Beard-Cutter?" Dwarf Shaman stated.

"No. I want all of us to stay sober." Goblin Slayer replied.

"Is there something wrong, Goblin Slayer, sir?" Priestess asked.

"Just a hunch but…"

Before Goblin Slayer could finish his words, a bell rang through the village. Everyone in the tavern stopped each of their activities, listening to the sounds of the bell. Suddenly, someone opened the door with his full might, face full of fear.

"Goblins! Goblins approaching the village!"

After hearing that, many people in the tavern shared the fear of the bearer of the news. The party looked at each other, nodded their heads, and went outside. They only need to run for several meters before seeing the goblins.

These goblins were different from the ones they fought earlier. They were fully covered, wearing a black robe. They were also better armed, wielding a sword on one hand and a shield in another. The existence of the shields alerted Goblin Slayer; they were the first goblins that he witnessed to be fighting with them.

High Elf Archer loosen her arrows at the goblins. Some of them fell but many used their shields to protect themselves. His fear was well-founded; these goblins knew how to use shields.

"They can use a shield. Careful!" He warned.

"Any idea how to deal with them, Sir Goblin Slayer?" Lizard Priest asked as he prepared to make a dragon-tooth warrior.

"As of now, not much." Goblin Slayer replied before looking at Priestess. "How many miracles left that you can use?"

"Just one," Priestess answered with disappointment in her tone.

"Save it." He then looked at High Elf Archer as well. "Both of you, take the high ground and provide covering fire."

"Of course!" The elf replied and turned around. "Come on! This way!"

Before Goblin Slayer could make more plan, his and others' attention was diverted by the scream of a human. They looked towards the goblins and saw several villagers tried to fight back. The goblins proofed to be more dangerous than normal goblins, wielding their sword and shield skillfully. The number was also on their side; for each goblin that blocked an attack from a villager, there was another to counterattack.

"They have strength in number. Split them up!" Goblin Slayer stated.

The three of them plus the dragon-tooth warrior approached the goblins that moved too far from their group. While they were harder to kill than normal goblins, they were still goblins and thus no match in a one-on-one fight against silver-class Adventurers.

The goblins were now giving chase to the Adventurers and warrior, who split apart and went to different directions. Just as expected, the goblins split up, making their numbers more manageable.

On the top of a building, High Elf Archer and Priestess used their bow and sling respectively to kill the goblins that chased their companions. While many of them were too focused on chasing their targets, after several fell the remaining goblins simply raised their shields above their heads. While High Elf Archer knew how to fire her arrows so that they could still hit the goblins, not so much with Priestess whose rocks simply bounced off the shields.

The villagers have begun to reorganize themselves. Some of them went to the rooftops with ladders and used many things from bow and arrows to bricks. The goblins tried to climb the ladders but those on tops simply kicked them off.

Other villagers decided to face the goblins head on. Even with their numbers being more manageable, the goblins still proofed to be a challenge. Slowly, blood decorated the village, either from the goblins or from the villagers.

* * *

"Sixteen." Goblin Slayer stated as he pulled his sword of a goblin.

As he did that, he heard a scream of a woman. Knowing what would happen, Goblin Slayer ran towards the source. He managed to find her, being surrounded by the goblins. However, the goblins then did something that surprised him.

They kill – no, they butchered the woman. The sounds of metal touching skin and flesh filled the air as blood flew to all direction.

" _They killed her? They don't rape her?_ " Goblin Slayer thought before he went towards the goblins.

As he fought them, he wondered about what the goblins just did. The woman was on the ground, helpless, and not putting meaningful resistance. Other goblins would surround her and have their ways as the woman screamed in desperation. But not these goblins. They didn't even show any sign of lust, something so common it seemed to be impossible for goblins not to show it if they saw a female.

"Twenty." Goblin Slayer decapitated the last goblin.

He then heard several goblins were approaching him from the rear. He turned around and as expected, several of them ran towards him. He prepared himself for another fight thought it was proven unnecessary. The arrows from High Elf Archer killed several of them and even more got killed from a mix of alcohol and fire thanks to a villager. Only two of them left, which Goblin Slayer cut down without much effort.

"Oy, Sir Goblin Slayer!" He looked at the villager. "We need you Adventurers at the square! Some of the goblins have gone nuts!"

Goblin Slayer nodded his head and immediately went towards the village square. On the way, he wondered what he meant by "gone nuts."

* * *

He had to admit when he heard some of the goblins have gone nuts, this was not what he had in mind.

Namely, a bunch of goblins armed with chained iron balls spinning around, attacking both goblins and villagers alike.

"Whoa, would you look at that." Dwarf Shaman stated as he used a sling to kill a goblin. "Have you ever seen any of them did this?"

"No, this is the first time." Goblin Slayer replied. "We need…"

Before he could finish his words, the spinning goblins suddenly stumbled, throttling themselves with their chains or simply collapse. The Adventurers and villagers dodged the flying goblins, who either hit the ground or the walls. They could hear the goblins laughing maniacally with their last breath.

"Where're the other goblins?" Goblin Slayer immediately asked.

"They retreated, Sir Goblin Slayer." A villager answered his question. "They must have used these…crazies as a distraction to cover their retreat."

He said nothing in return, merely sheathing his sword and catching his breath. At least, the danger had passed.

* * *

When morning came, the statistic was now clear; two dozen villagers have lost their lives with dozens more wounded. The goblins meanwhile lost fifty of their numbers. Surprisingly, there was no one missing, especially the women, indicating that the goblins didn't kidnap women like they usually do.

Goblin Slayer looked at one of the goblin corpses. It was one of the goblins that spun wildly with a chained iron ball. It had a look of self-satisfaction upon its tongue-lolling face. The battle yesterday confused him greatly; the goblins knew how to use shields, killing women with not attempt of raping them, and now using suicidal tactics. He knew that from the face, it was unlikely that such tactic was forced by other goblins.

The fact that goblins acted suicidal worried him. Goblins did stupid things that caused their own deaths was because well, they were stupid, not because they were suicidal.

Goblin Slayer turned his eyes towards his companions when he heard them approaching him. They didn't look excited at all, most likely because of the casualties caused by the goblin attack.

"Everything's good?" He asked.

"Yeah, sort of." High Elf Archer replied. "Some cattle were killed but the rest of the food is fine. Nobody's missing and all the dead have been counted."

"Things could have been worse, aren't they?" Priestess asked.

"Indeed. The whole village would be slaughtered to the man and the food would be used to bolster their strength to attack another village." Goblin Slayer bluntly stated. "The Guild must know about this."

"While the goblins seem to act differently than usual, I don't think it's necessary to inform the Guild." Dwarf Shaman stated. "They could simply learn from experience or being supported by other, smarter race. Like the ones in the Water Town."

Rather than replying, Goblin Slayer withdrew his sword and cut the robe of one of the goblins.

"Look at the crotch area." He stated.

"Eww, Orcbolg! That's gross!" High Elf Archer exclaimed. "What do you…"

"Look!" His voice gave no room for objection.

The elf sighed and she, alongside the rest of the party, did as Goblin Slayer ordered to. Preparing for a disgusting sight, they were surprised by what they saw.

"He…It…there's no genital!" High Elf Archer exclaimed once again.

"So that's why no woman is raped." Lizard Priest said as his hands made their usual pose. "They can't rape them. Literally can't."

"But if he…it…erm, has no genital, then how they would reproduce?" Priestess asked.

"I don't know. But one thing is clear." Goblin Slayer stated. "This is not something that we can just ignore."

* * *

 **Answers to some reviews:**

 **SuperSaiyanDiclonius:** Yep. There would be all kind of Greenskins from tiny snotlings to mighty orcs.

 **Ayman El Kadouri:** Yes, there's a regiment of renown.

 **Guest:** Not exactly good. After all, he basically enslaved them. As of now, the gobslaves are still unfamiliar with the gods that the Goblins of the Old World worship. For Goblin Slayer, yeah, he's going to need to recruit an army and create a new plan to deal with this kind of threat.

 **Austin:** Trolls and Giants, while part of the Greenskins' forces, are not Greenskins. They're their own separate races and thus can't be created through spores.

* * *

 **And this chapter is now complete.**

 **If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.**

 **Review, please!**


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